Journey
by MissB8604
Summary: Oneshot. CollinsAngel. A snippet of what happened before the New Years celebration with the group.


**Author's Notes: Man, I haven't written in so long. I miss it so! I've been so dang busy with school. Don't know where this story came from, but I'm just glad that my joy of writing is still in tact.**

**I OWN NOTHING (only plot).**

**Please read, review and enjoy! **

**Journey**

"Angel."

"Yes?"

"Do you know about I feel about you?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how much you mean to me?"

"Yes."

"Then why do you hesitate when I call your name? Why do you act as if I'm going to leave you?"

Angel contemplated this. Sure, she had men that stayed longer than a couple of weeks, but no one had actually wanted to stay, forever.

"Angel." His voice grew a bit agitated at her inconsistency of not answering.

"Yes?"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes."

"Then answer me please."

Rubbing her shoulders to keep herself warm, Angel looked about herself watching people coming and going, on their way to their own celebrations of the New Year.

"I don't know Tom. I get nervous."

"Nervous?"

He peered at her when she said this and took a step closer.

"What do you mean you get nervous?"

"I can't explain it; it's the way I've always been. It's just who I am."

Sometimes what came out of her mouth astounded him but sometimes, like now, they agitated him.

"Angel, I really would appreciate it if you would talk to me without the games."

Turning her head sharply towards him, she eyed him her anger beginning to build.

"Don't talk to me like that Thomas. Ever."

He was startled by her reply, and at this he let go of her gently all the while backing up to give them both some space. An argument was coming and he could feel it.

"Ang, I'm not trying to talk to you like anythin' love alright? I just want you to talk to me. Explain to me how you feel."

"Well, what if I don't want to Thomas? What if I just want to be left alone?"

Collins winced at her tone a bit before sitting down on a stoop nearby.

"I don't want to argue Ang. I just want us to be happy."

Angel threw her purse on the ground, the hooks on the end of her skirt rattling loudly.

"How can we be happy Tom? How can we walk around happy when we're going to die soon?"

Collins' head rose slowly to watch her as she began to weep, her metallic blue fingers contrasting beautifully with her tanned face.

"What do you mean Angel? We're all going to die eventually babe…"

"But some of us are going sooner! How can we have a relationship? How can I be the one for you when I'm about to die? It doesn't work like that Tom, it just doesn't!"

The professor rose grandly, picking her purse up and pulling her into his arms. She resisted, not wanting him to see her cry, but he would wait, he would wait for her for forever.

"You got your results?" He asked her very quietly as a tear fell down his face.

She nodded her head once and that was all she was going to give him.

"I won't even last the year."

"Angel!" Mimi's voice traveled through the street corner, filling the lover's ears with a sense of relief. This talk could wait for Angel, for now.

Angel grabbed her purse from Collins who waved at Mimi, giving her his best smile as she and Roger ran over to them. Quickly, Angel reapplied her face trying to fight her tears as best she could before Mimi could see. She hadn't even told her yet.

"Chica!" Mimi exclaimed placing a big kiss on Angel's cheek. Angel smiled widely at her friend; she looked happy, genuinely happy.

"Hello my love."

Roger and Collins hugged, Collins clinking his old watch with the bottle of stoli that Roger was carrying in his hand. The professor nudged Roger slyly, signaling for Roger to get the party started early. Roger smiled shaking his head as he brought it out of its brown paper bag.

"Come on slow asses we've got to meet Joanne, Mark and Maureen in front of the TV store before midnight!"

Mimi swiftly walked before the three with Roger catching up to her. Angel clutched her purse close to her looking up to the sky as if she was trying to gain strength from the moon's rays. Collins eyed her carefully, wrapping his left arm around her placing a kiss on her cheek. She looked toward him her eyes beginning to lose hope already.

"What a shitty way to start a new year."

Collins let out a jolly laugh that illuminated the alley ways as they passed them. "But what a wonderful journey it's going to be. Because of you I am unafraid of the future. Practice what you preach baby girl. Let this year be the best year you've ever had. Show the world who you are, but I ask of you one thing…"

The two stopped at the street corner, Mimi and Roger way ahead of them now. "Don't you ever stop loving me."


End file.
